The document discusses the United Nations Secretary-General's proposal for a Global Digital Compact (GDC) to be agreed upon at the Summit of the Future in 2024. It outlines the seven thematic areas that will be addressed through stakeholder consultations leading up to the summit. These include connecting people to the internet, avoiding internet fragmentation, protecting data, applying human rights online, regulating artificial intelligence, and recognizing digital commons as a global public good. The document also describes regional consultation processes in Asia, the Americas, and Africa to inform the GDC. It advocates for Bangladesh voices to engage and contribute to the process to help establish principles for inclusive and sustainable digital governance.

1. AHM Bazlur Rahman
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio & communication(BNNRC)
ceo@bnnrc.net | www.bnnrc.net
+8801711881647
An open, free and secure digital future
for all

2. KEY PROPOSAL
Across the 12 commitments
from the Declaration on the
Commemoration of the 75th
anniversary of the United
Nations: September 2020
The United Nations Secretary-General, António
Guterres, has said that “Looking to the future, two
seismic shifts will shape the 21st century: the
climate crisis, and digital transformation.”

5. The Common Agenda proposes a
Global Digital Compact to be
agreed upon at the Summit of the
Future in September
2024 through a technology track
involving all stakeholders:
Governments, the United Nations
system, the private sector (including
tech companies), civil society, grass-
roots organizations, academia, and
individuals, including youth.

6. Related ongoing UN processes,
initiatives & events
Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on security of
and in the use of information and communications
technologies, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs 1998
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
Forum since (2003 & 2005) 2006
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) since 2006
Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology

7. An open process of consultations are to identify common ground in terms
of principles and proposed actions relating to the following seven thematic
areas identified in Our Common Agenda and additional areas that
stakeholders advocate for inclusion in the GDC:
• Connect all people to the internet, including all schools
• Avoid internet fragmentation
• Protect data
• Apply human rights online
• Accountability for discrimination and misleading
content
• Regulation of artificial intelligence
• Digital commons as a global public good
• Other areas: this is the opportunity for stakeholders to
propose additional thematic areas, issues,
opportunities, and challenges for inclusion within the
scope of the GDC which are not covered in Our
Common Agenda.

8. Intergovernmental Process led
by the Co-facilitators Rwanda
and Sweden
In October 2022, the President
of the UN General Assembly
appointed the Permanent
Representatives of Rwanda &
of Sweden as Co-facilitators to
lead the intergovernmental
process on the Global Digital
Compact.
On 16 January 2023, the Co-
facilitators shared the road map
for the intergovernmental
process.

9. Thematic
Deep-Dive
Informal
consultations
with Member
States and
Stakeholders,
January to
June 2023
1. Digital inclusion and
connectivity
2. Internet
Governance
3. Data protection
4. Human Rights online
5. Digital trust and
security
6. Artificial Intelligence
and other emerging
technologies
7. Global digital
commons
8. Accelerating
progress on the
Sustainable
Development Goals
(SDGs)

10. Global Initiative:
The Indian and German governments &
Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy
on Technology:
Regional consultations for Asia, New Delhi,
India on the 21 and 22 March 2023
The Mexico and German governments Office
of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on
Technology:
Regional consultations American region,
Mexico on the 15-16 February 2023
The Kenya and German governments &
Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy
on Technology
Regional Consultations for the African region,
Nairobi, Kenya 5-6 December 2022

12. Bangladesh Initiative for
Connecting, Empowering
& Amplifying
Unified Voices on Global
Digital Compact
& UN Summit for the
Future 2024
Make Bangladesh Voices Heard at the UN
GDC and UN Summit for the Future

13. Why Engage in the Process:
The GDC is an opportunity for government & civil society and multi-stakeholder to
contribute to establishing agreed principles for digital governance that support
human rights, social justice and sustainable development and that can form the
basis of a longer-term framework for accountable and inclusive internet
governance – and broader digital governance. `
The GDC is also an opportunity to reinterpret the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) vision to respond to the constantly changing digital
society that we live in today.
It could also play a key role in ensuring that the lessons learned from years of
multistakeholder cooperation feed into future processes of internet policy, internet
governance and global digital cooperation and in setting parameters for
safeguarding multistakeholderism, transparency, inclusivity, dialogue and
accountability.
Stakeholders, including civil society groups and individuals, can develop inputs
based on a long-term vision for what we want the internet to be, and what we do
not want it to be – and more broadly, for digitalisation and its relationship to
sustainable development and environmental sustainability.
We can work hard to see priorities reflected in the final product by consulting
widely, and deeply, and collaborating extensively, including reaching out to other
stakeholder groups. The GDC has the potential to frame digital debate at the
global level in upcoming years, so it is urgent that the public has a seat at the
table and proposes carefully tailored and targeted recommendations in relation to
key policy themes.